The Human Geography and Spatial Planning Lab (HGSPL) at Ningbo University traces its origins to two institutes established earlier: the Institute of Urban Development and Planning (established in 2001, per Ningbo University Political [2001] No. 53) and the Institute of Human Settlement Environment (established in 2003, per Ningbo University Political Office [2003] No. 10). Throughout the university's appointment rounds, it underwent name changes: it was renamed the Institute of Human Geography in the Coastal Zone during the fourth, fifth, and sixth rounds, and finally adopted its current name in the seventh round of appointments. Relying on this research institute, Ningbo University has established the master's degree program in human geography and the master's degree program in rural development of agriculture. It has also been approved to set up the Research Center for Land and Sea Territorial Space Utilization and Governance of Ningbo University (Ningda Zhengban [2019] No. 68), the Collaborative Innovation Center for Land and Sea Territorial Space Utilization and Governance in Ningbo (Yongjiaogao [2020] No. 28) / Collaborative Innovation Center of Zhejiang Province (Zhejiaogaoke [2022] No. 98).
The institute adheres to the principle of "highlighting key points, embodying characteristics, integrating scientific research with industry, and emphasizing both theory and application." It specifically conducts researches on hot, difficult, and significant issues related to natural resource utilization and spatial planning in the Ningbo-Zhoushan region, Zhejiang Province, the Yangtze River Delta region, and the East China Sea. The institute strives to build a new "four-in-one" research institution that encompasses undergraduate, master's, and doctoral talent cultivation, academic research, policy research, planning compilation, and engineering consulting in land and sea territorial spatial planning.
The institute currently has 13 professional researchers and over 100 master's students in human geography and rural development. Among them are 4 professors, 7 associate professors, and 2 lecturers. The institute also hires renowned experts from both domestic and international institutions as part-time researchers. In the past three years, we have undertaken nine research projects funded by the National Natural Science Foundation of China and the National Social Science Foundation of China in the fields of land use and rural geography, marine economic geography, and urban transportation, eight provincial and ministerial projects, and over 40 horizontal projects. We have published more than 20 monographs, including "Research on the Protection and Construction of Beautiful Bays," "Evolution of Marine Industrial Structure and Its Growth Effects in China's Coastal Areas," "Evaluation of Natural Resources Assets and Their Territorial Regulation in Zhejiang Province," "Research on the Supply System and Governance Mechanism of Intercity Public Transportation in the Greater Bay Area," and "Land Use Evaluation and Land Use Transformation." Additionally, we have published over 200 academic papers in SSCI/CSSCI/SCI journals and received four awards at various levels, including the 21st Outstanding Achievement Award in Philosophy and Social Sciences in Zhejiang Province. We have established the first-class undergraduate course "Regional Analysis and Planning" in Zhejiang Province, guiding students to participate in and win over ten awards in competitions such as the "Challenge Cup" Extracurricular Academic Science and Technology Works and Innovation and Entrepreneurship Series Competitions, China Geographic Science Exhibition Contest, Zhejiang College Students' Rural Revitalization Innovation Contest, and National College Students' Land and National Conditions Survey Contest. We have also produced a series of teaching and research works, including "Guidance and Case Studies of Socio-cultural Geographic Investigation in Cities," "Exploration of the Integration of Economic Geography and Innovation—Rural Revitalization Planning Competition Practice," "Guidance and Case Studies of Fieldwork Methods in Human Geography," and "Guidance for Teaching Practice of Geography Science Teachers in Local Comprehensive Universities." Furthermore, we have won two outstanding teaching achievement awards from Ningbo's higher education system and one teaching achievement award from Ningbo University. We have become an important base for land and marine territory spatial planning, talent cultivation, scientific research, local services, and decision-making consultation in Zhejiang Province. We have undertaken research projects such as "Research on the Technical Approach to the Compilation of Spatial Planning for Key Sea Areas in Wenzhou," "Research on the Co-governance Mechanism of the Ecological Environment of the Coastal Zone in the Yangtze River Delta," and "Research on the Comprehensive Planning and Management System of the Coastal Zone in Ningbo." Additionally, we have actively participated in investigations related to Zhejiang Province's initiatives such as "Maritime Power Province," "Eight-Eight Strategy," and "Mountain-Sea Collaboration Project," and have become a significant force in promoting research and industry development in land and marine territory spatial governance in Zhejiang Province.
Research direction: Focus on the reconstruction, simulation, and early warning of the regional system laws of coastal human-land relationships, with a focus on land and sea territorial use and spatial planning, industrial clusters and marine economic geography, transportation geography and urban-rural planning, and research in the field of heritage preservation and cultural economy.
Direction One: Land Use and National Spatial Planning
Targeting the national and regional economic and social development strategies, we will focus on research directions such as land use transformation, territorial spatial planning, comprehensive territorial spatial remediation, intensive and economical land use, and carbon emissions. We will carry out comprehensive research on land use and territorial spatial planning systems, aiming to better leverage the critical role of land as a carrier for economic and social development, and support high-quality economic and social development as well as high-standard ecological civilization construction in the region.
Direction Two: Industrial Agglomeration and Diffusion, and Marine Economic Geography
Utilizing methodologies rooted in positivism, structuralism (including Marxism), and humanism, we conduct quantitative statistical analysis, spatial modeling, or qualitative analysis of statistical data, interview data, and participatory observation data in areas such as regional marine resource utilization, marine economic space, ports and shipping, urban-rural integration, and island revitalization. The goal is to reconstruct, simulate, or predict the human-land (sea) relationships and sustainability capabilities of coastal cities and regions. This, in turn, will scientifically guide the development, utilization, and management of coastal and marine resources, promote integrated land-sea planning and national/local marine strategies, expand national maritime interests, and safeguard China's maritime rights and interests.
Direction Three: Transportation geography and urban-rural development
Focusing on the strategic needs and scientific issues of "Transit Metropolis" and "Transportation Power," we ground ourselves in the characteristics of multi-scale urban and regional transportation geography. Leveraging multi-source data and diverse research methodologies, we delve into the interactive mechanisms between transportation geography and urban-rural development. Our research specializes in areas such as transportation and land development, transportation and spatial growth, transportation and equity, transportation economic geography, cross-city transportation supply and spatial governance, as well as cross-regional commuting and travel. Our goal is to provide methodological support and policy recommendations for the advancement of transportation geography and urban-rural development.
Direction Four: Heritage Conservation and Cultural Economic Geography
We are dedicated to theoretical and applied research in the areas of cultural heritage protection, inheritance, transformation, and utilization of islands, coastal villages and towns, as well as the Eastern Zhejiang Canal, along with the closely related urban and rural ecological and environmental history, special marine agriculture, and geographical indications of agricultural products. In recent years, we have undertaken and completed numerous national and provincial-level research projects, including the National Social Science Fund Project titled "Creative Protection and Activation Modes of Cultural Heritage along the Eastern Zhejiang Section of the Grand Canal". It has also published over ten monographs, such as "Ningbo Port City Landscape: Cultural Heritage and Post-Industrial Era Governance", "The Evolution of Island Tourism Regional System and the Transformation of Tourism Planning: Case Study of Zhujiajian, Zhoushan", and "Dynamics of Cultural & Creative Industry and its Geographical Welfare: Case of Yangtz River Delta". In addition, more than 80 academic papers have been published, many of which have been reprinted in journals like "Renmin University of China Journal of Cultural Innovation Industry" and other influential publications.
Team Equipment Introduction
The institute has a laboratory for human geography and land spatial planning, which mainly undertakes undergraduate and graduate teaching. It also has a specialized teaching team for graduate students. The laboratory is capable of quickly processing large amounts of geographic and remote sensing information, including information on natural resources, geographic national condition monitoring, and economic and social surveys. It can complete the processing, application analysis, and modeling of geographic information data, and has advantages in terms of security and economy.
Academic exchange and cooperation
The team has organized various academic conferences including "East China Sea Resources and Environment Conservation and Regional Development Forum (2023)", "Ningbo Global Maritime Center City Construction and Development Forum (2022)", "Towards Common Prosperity: Zhejiang's Land-Sea Coordination Practice and Yangtze River Delta Integration Innovation (2022)", "Maritime Resources, Environmental Economics, and Geography Discipline Construction Ningbo-Hong Kong Forum (2021)", "Ningbo Modern Coastal Metropolis Construction and Development Forum (2021)", "Yongjiang Harbor City Forum 2018: The Belt and Road Initiative and Coastal Zone Sustainable Development Symposium", "Yongjiang Harbor City Forum 2017: Climate Change and the Belt and Road Initiative Symposium", among others. The team has also delivered numerous presentations at professional conferences in the fields of geography, marine economics, urban and rural planning, and transportation governance, focusing on scientific issues in human geography, spatial planning technology, and policy areas. It advocates for fundamental research, values scientific practices, attends to application needs, and explores frontier fields. Through thematic reports, expert comments, interactive questioning, and other methods, we aim to explore and showcase the latest scientific research and innovative ideas in the field of human geography and its application in spatial planning.